Some Old Habits Die Hard
by locofiend13
Summary: This tale follows the team 2 years after the heists. What's changed, what's stayed the same and what drama is bound to happen? *COMPLETE* Please for the love of all things holy...Read and REVIEW!
1. Prologue

Note from the Author:

You guys know I own none of the characters from The Fast and The Furious or 2 Fast 2 Furious, so why am I even typing this message? If any names appear that happen to be unfirmiliar to you then it is a character that I created. Anyway, this is my first stab at a fanfic on this site so, here goes nothing. Please review, I really wanna know what you think!

Thanks,

locodeadgirl

Somewhere in Miami, shortly after Brian and Roman helped with the investigation that lead to the incarceration of Carter Verone.

It only took Brian a few minutes to realize what he must do.

"Hey man, I'll be right back. Stay here," he said to Roman as he turned back toward the water where Verone's dilapidated boat was now docked.

"Ah...I see how it is. You ditchin' me for your woman, huh dawg? Well..." Roman shouted after him, but his words trailed off.

Brian walked over to Agent Bilkins, who, at the moment, was looking very pleased. " It's

about time I set things right," Brian said to himself as he caught the agent's eye.

'Hey O'Conner, back so soon?" Bilkins asked with a sly smile. Even though Brian had screwed up with his past investigation, in Bilkins' eyes he had redeemed himself this time.

Brian returned the smile then became very serious as he replied, "Look, I know I really screwed up in L.A., but I think I might have made up for it this time. Besides, compared to all the charges Verone is facing...well...let's just say, high jacking trucks looks pretty tame compared to the charges against this guy."

"Yes Brian, you did make a few mistakes...well actually one huge mistake on your past assignment, but you really have made up for it this time. However, I don't see where you're going with this. I just granted you and Mr. Pearce totally clean records. What else could you possibly want from me?" Bilkins asked, appearing a bit amused.

" I think you know what I want," Brian replied, "I want you to drop all the charges against Toretto and his team. I want you help me get them back in the states and promise me that the FBI will leave them alone."

"Brian...you know I can't do that," Bilkins said loosing his smile. " Toretto is a criminal."

"That's bull shit! I know you have the power to make this all go away," Brian yelled, then he got closer to the agent and lowered his voice almost to a whisper, "I risked my life for you this time. I got your guy. I got innocent people involved to help **you**! When you found me and gave me this proposition, I didn't do it for me. I didn't do it because I was afraid of going to jail, I did it because I thought that maybe I could get them, maybe I could help them get their lives back."

"That's really heroic O' Conner, but Toretto is a criminal. I can't just make his problem dissaper.

He committed a crime. If I cleared his record there would still be the chance that he'd do it again." Bilkins replied uncomfortably.

"Look, I will do anything to make this happen...I mean it ," Brian pleaded, sure that he had already been defeated.

Bilkins remained quiet for a long time then finally he said something that took Brian by surprise. "Ok, I'll see what I can do...If you do something for me."

"I already told you, I'll do anything," Brian said trying to keep his cool.

"I am really impressed with your undercover skills. Even though you let Toretto go, your did one thing right, you didn't blow your cover until the very end and you did that by choice. So I want you to do some more work for me every now and then. If you agree, I will do everything in my power to get Toretto's record wiped clean. Do we have a deal," Bilkins asked, totally sure that Brian would agree.

Sure enough Brian did agree and the two shook hands making it a done deal. As Brian headed back in the direction of Roman, Bilkins called out, "I'll be in touch." Brian nodded as he disappeared behind a row of hedges.

On a freeway in Miami near Tej's garage, a little while later

"So cuz, how'd it go with your woman," Roman asked breaking the silence between them.

"Sometimes you need to get the whole story before you start talkin'," Brian scoffed, paying close attention to the other cars around him.

"So this isn't about a female then," Roman asked.

"Oh it's about a woman, bro," Brian said with a grin, " Just not the one you're thinkin' of."

Brian saw the look of confusion on Roman's face and decided to tell him about what had happened in L.A. and about the deal he had made with Bilkins. By the time he had finished his story, they were standing outside at Tej's garage.

"Look Roman, I know you really love it down here in Miami and I know we talked about startin' a garage here, but what do you say we go back to Cali? We can start a garage in L.A. What do you say," Brian added at the end of his tale.

At first Roman looked skeptical not to mention disappointed, but after thinking things over for a minute he gave Brian his answer.

"Come on cuz, let's do the damn thang! Miami is nice, but it ain't home. Besides I wanna meet the one that literally got away,"he said with a smile. Brian was so excited that he tackled Roman to the ground.

"Hey," a familiar voice said from behind them, "I hate to break up this little love fest, but did I hear you correctly? Are you goin' back to L.A.?"

Brian got up and stood before Tej and Suki. "Yeah man, you heard right. You interested?"

Tej thought a moment before replying, "Hell yeah...Miami's kinda getting old. Besides it'd be too quiet without you two around here raising hell. Plus there's lots of opportunities for me to make some cash in L.A. Oh yeah, by the way you still owe me for those fines I got helping you."

So it was decided that Brian, Roman, Tej, and Suki would go to L.A. While everyone was preparing to go, Brian was preparing for something else. He was preparing to find the people that he had betrayed yet saved.


	2. New Design

-The Desert, Race Wars 2-

(2 years later)

Letty's P.O.V.

I gripped the wheel of my 240 and watched the flagger intently. I waited patently for him to make the motion that would start the race. Calmly, I looked over at my opponent who appeared to be a bit nervous. He acted as if he were about to be bold, opened his mouth to say something, then quickly shut it again. He had apparently just realized that I was Dominic Toretto's girl, not to mention a force to be reckoned with both on and off the track. He was a stupid rich boy that had his daddy's money and a brand new Viper, however he did not possess the ability to drive it. Before the race he had been cocky but since he realized I knew my shit and he didn't, he had decided he better shut his mouth and save himself a bit of embarrassment.

I grinned as I thought of the 10,000 I might pocket after the race. I put on some Pantera and cranked my system up to get myself motivated, then I went back to eyeballing the flagger. He made his move and I made mine. Halfway down the track my adrenaline kicked into high gear and so did my 240. I checked my rearview and saw that rich boy wasn't very close behind me, but I wasn't taking any chances. I put my thumb on the NOS button on my steering wheel and quickly pushed it. My car sped up and crossed the finish line. I let out the "ahhh" sound that I usually make while drinking a Corona on a hot L.A. day. As I left the track, I looked back at the rich boy, who was now cursing himself.

A few minutes later I reached the "base". As I got out of my car and approached my spot under the giant parachute tent, I heard a car speed up then slam on it's breaks behind me. I turned to see the rich boy hanging out the window of his Viper motioning for me to come over to him. I remained still and shouted, " That isn't how we conduct business around here. You lost, so you get your ass out of that overpriced piece of crap and come to me!"

He hesitated eyeing Dom and the guys, who were not far behind me. Finally he worked up enough courage to get out and hand me a wad of cash. He turned to leave, looking totally defeated. "You aren't too bad kid, but next time leave the cocky attitude at the house, ok?"

He turned back toward me as he reached his car and smiled. "Thanks,"he added getting in, "I'll take your advice."

"I'll see ya around Richie," I said as I counted my cash. The rich boy drove off and I turned back to the guys who had been watching the whole thing. I looked up from my money to find them all staring at me. "What?"I asked defensively. They just grinned back at me.

-

Things have changed a lot since we almost went to prison. We ditched the criminal lifestyle after the accidents. Dom, Leon, Mia and I spent six months in Mexico while Vince and Jesse were in ICU. The only way we could contact them was by calling the hospital they were in from a payphone to check in on them. Brian disappeared which made Mia absolutely miserable. Then one day, when things were looking particularly bleak, Brian showed up with Roman, Tej, and Suki, and told us our records were clean and it was safe to go back home. At first I was angry with Brian for lying to us in the first place, but the I realized that if it hadn't been for him, Vince and Jesse would both be dead and the rest of us would have been in prison or spending the rest of our lives in hiding. He saved us.

Now our lives are pretty much back to normal. (Well, as normal as it can be when you're involved with us.) We make money the good old fashion way, the garage, the market, racing, and of course Tej's "money making" skills. Mia runs the market, Suki and helps Jesse design the cars at the garage, and the rest of us work in the garage and race just like the old days.

However, there has been one major change. Brian and Mia got married (with Dom's full blessing) shortly after we returned to L.A. They moved into a house up the street and are now the proud parents of an adorable two year old daughter named, Maddy. So my duties now include girlfriend, mechanic, street racer, and baby sitter. At first the guys and I were a little uncomfortable with the idea of having a kid around, but now she's a regular part of the household. I know it may seem like I've gotten softer, but trust me, nothing could be farther from the truth.

-

Leon was the first to speak, "That's my girl, you smoked his ass." I looked at him a bit surprised. Usually we only watched Dom race. I got a little excited to know that for once I had been in the spot light.

"I do what I do and that's all I can do," I said with a smile as I handed Dom my cash, "10 grand."

"Dammit girl," Dom said after he finished counting the cash for a second time. He put his arms around me an gave me a long kiss.

"Wow," I said pulling back, " I guess I should win more often."

Everyone laughed. I heard a the door to one of the trailers swing open and heard a loud bag as the door connected with side of the trailer. Soon I felt a tiny hand lightly slapping my right thigh. I looked down to see Maddy smiling up at me. " What do you want midget?" I asked pretending to be annoyed.

Maddy stopped smiling and appeared thoughtful for a moment before replying, "I made this for you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, then handed it up to me. I unfolded it and smiled when I saw what was on it. It was a picture drawn in crayon of what appeared to be a car and a stick figure with long hair, holding what looked like money. I looked down at Maddy as I handed the drawing to Dom. She looked worried, as though she was afraid I wouldn't like it. " I think you just earned yourself the privilege of riding home with me tonight," I said, watching her face light up.


	3. Troubles and plans

-Thanks for all the reviews. Please keep them coming! I need them for motivation or this story will never get finished! I'm glad I was able to write something that you guys are actually interested in. I was scared that my story would be a total failure. I'm sorry if I kinda ramble on about nothing sometimes, but I'm really into minor details and I'm trying to really get you guys connected with the characters. Anyway, thank you all for reading and reviewing! PLEASE CONTINUE-

-Later that night, back at the house-

Letty's P.O.V.

It was a cool night, so after dinner Leon, Jesse, and I went out to the driveway to shoot hoops, while Dom and Vince worked on the Charger in the garage. Mia and Brian were sitting on the back steps watching Maddy chase fireflies in the backyard, when Brian's cell rang, quickly he got up and disappeared into the house.

"Hey Letty," Dom shouted at me from beneath the Charger, "would ya go get me another Corona?"

"What the hell do I look like to you, Toretto? A maid," I shot back playfully. Dom slid out from beneath the Charger, I guess so he could see if I was serious or not. He saw I was smiling so he went back to work. "You guys want anything," I asked walking toward the house.

-

As I took a few Coronas from the fridge, I overheard Brian on the phone in the living room. I couldn't really make out what he was saying because he kept his voice low, but I could tell that whatever it was, he didn't sound too happy about it. Normally I wouldn't have paid the least bit of attention, but there was something very suspicious going on and I didn't like it. I heard him say goodbye to the mystery caller, then he began talking to Roman who had been sitting on the sofa eating a sandwich during the entire conversation.

"What was that about, bro," Roman said sounding a bit uneasy.

"That was Bilkins. He said that we need to be extremely careful. What we've been worried about has finally happened," Brian replied.

I thought for a moment, Bilkins, where had I heard that name before? Suddenly it hit me, he was the FBI agent that had helped Brian get the charges against us dropped. My heart began to race. For the first time in a long time I was filled with fear, a feeling I had hoped to never have again. My mind began to race. What was he warning Brian about? Was he telling him that something had happened and we would have to go to jail? I hadn't been that interested in Brian's mystery conversation at first, but now I felt it was imperative that I find out exactly what was going on. I was ripped from my thoughts when Brian emerged from the living room, Roman following closely behind. They both appeared surprised to see me.

"Hey Letty, would you mind gettin' me one of those," Brian asked pointing at the beer in my hand. He was clearly trying to save his ass.

I handed Brian a beer, rather forcefully, and blurted out, "Here Brian, now how 'bout you cut the shit and tell me what you and Roman look so worried about."

"What are you talkin' about, baby girl," Roman asked, playing dumb.

"Ok, if you wanna do it that way," I threatened, "I bet Dom can get it out of ya."

Brian and Roman exchanged worried looks. Roman nodded and Brian began to speak.

"Fine, that was Agent Bilkins. He told me that the guy Roman and I helped put away got out of prison and he might try to find us. I'm sure you can guess why." I watched Brian study my face. He must have noticed the look of momentary relief that was soon replaced with one of concern, because he quickly added, "Look Let, don't worry. I 've got this covered. Just don't say anything please. This will all blow over. I promise."

"I guess this is what happens when you get involved with cops," I hissed at him in particularly icy voice as I left he and Roman standing in the kitchen. I went back outside slamming the door behind me. How stupid could I have been? I was living in a fantasy world. Since we had gotten back to L.A., I actually began to feel safe for the first time in a long time. I should have know something, or in this case someone, would ruin everything yet again.

-

Luckily slammed doors weren't looked upon as an oddity in the Toretto household and neither was my hostility. I delivered the guys their beers, they seemed oblivious to my discomfort. However, I soon learned that I was more transparent than I thought. I had waited to give Dom his beer last and it was he that was able to sense my uneasiness.

"What's wrong baby," he asked, genuinely concerned.

"Nothing," I lied, hoping he wouldn't notice. However, part of me was dying to tell him everything I had just heard. "I'm not feeling to well. I think I'm gonna go up to bed."

This really hit a nerve. I had only made matters worse by telling him I was sick. I was almost sure he knew I had just lied to him because he stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. He had known me long enough to know that, a) I never admitted when I was hurt or sick because it made me appear vulnerable, which is something that I absolutely refuse to let people see, and b) if I didn't feel like talking about my "troubles" there was no way to get me to say a word. So even if he had caught my little white lie, he was smart enough to know that I wouldn't tell him what was really wrong with me until I was ready. It's a mutual respect thing I guess.

"Ok," he finally said, "I'm kinda tired myself. I'll come with you."

"That's alright, I'll be fine on my own," I replied as I gave him a quick kiss. I turned to leave but he stopped me by placing a firm hand on my wrist.

"I'll be up in a minute," he said, ignoring my statement, " Why don't you go upstairs and make yourself comfortable while I finish up down here." Dom knows me all too well. He has always been the only person that can see right through me. He knew that I wasn't interested in sleeping.

-

Dom's P.O.V.

I wasn't stupid. I knew what Letty was up to. I knew that something was on her mind and I was smart enough to know that no matter how hard I tried, she wouldn't tell me what it was until she was ready. I decided to just let it be. Besides now was the perfect time for me to make my move.

I watched her walk across the backyard toward the house. When I saw that she was inside, I called for Vince, Jesse, and Leon. I explained to them that I had something special planned for Letty and I before tomorrow nights race and that I would need their help. I told them my plan and what role each of them would play in it.

After all was said and done, I put my tools away and began walking toward the house. I stopped at the back steps and sat with my sister, something I hadn't done in a while. We just sat there, next to each other in silence, and for a brief moment I thought back to all the nights we had spent sitting on those steps as children while we watched our father work on the very same car I had just been working on. I smiled at the memory and then glanced over at Mia who was also smiling. We sat there for a long time, but this time we weren't watching our father. Instead we were watching Mia's daughter, my niece, Maddy, and somehow I knew that my father was up there watching us.


	4. Bad Dreams and Confessions

Later, 2:13am-

Letty's P.O.V.

I laid in bed next to Dominic, staring at the red digital numbers of the alarm clock that was perched on the edge of the dresser. 2:13. I should have been asleep, but I was plagued with nightmares of terrible situations that my twisted imagination had designed to torture me. I tried to relax, letting the sounds of the night drown out my thoughts. I listened to Dom's soft breathing beside me and the quiet murmur of the TV downstairs for a while before rolling over to face Dom, who was illuminated by the moonlight that crept in through the window. I gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead as I watched him sleep briefly.

I decided to take a drive to clear my head. I sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a wife- beater and some of Dom's boxers, where I was hit by a sudden chill from the open window. I allowed my eyes to adjust to the darkness, then I slowly got up and began to search the floor for some clothes. I quietly pulled on some pants and put on my boots before heading downstairs.

I found Jesse and Leon sitting on the living room floor, directly in front of the TV, playing a racing game on the PS2. I decided to skip the late night drive and chill with them instead until I felt tired again. They both looked up briefly as I entered the room.

"Hey girl, what brings you down here with us," Leon asked playfully, beating Jesse in the final lap, "you bored with Dom already? Or did he kick you out again?"

"That's really funny Leon. Maybe you should give up your career as a mechanic and become a comedian," I replied sarcastically as I sat down on the sofa behind them. My statement made Jesse laugh. "So tell me, why is it that you're alone tonight? Didn't have time to pick up any racer chaser skanks?"

"I'm not alone," Leon said with a laugh as he chewed on a toothpick, "I'm hangin' out with my good buddy Jesse. Bros before hoes. Come on Let, you know that motto better than anybody."

I grinned as Leon and Jesse removed their attention from the TV and directed it at me."Honestly Leon, sometimes I don't know whether to kill ya or kiss ya."

"Hey Letty, wanna take my spot? I just lost, so you'll have to race Leon," Jesse said, holding up his controller.

"Nah, Jess, as much as I'd like to lay a beatin' on Leon, I think I'll just watch,"I replied ruffing up his hair a bit, which made him smile. It was then that I realized Vince was missing in action. "Hey guys, where's V?"

"You know those "skanks" you and Leon were just talkin' about," Jesse replied, directing his attention back to the TV, "I think he's out with one."

I laughed as I laid back on the sofa watching them race, happy that all my negative thoughts had finally disappeared. My anger at Brian had left me as well. I realized this as I watched Jesse and Leon. If it hadn't been for Brian, I wouldn't get to enjoy simple moments like this.

Leon's P.O.V.

Jesse and I stayed up for a little longer drinking and watching TV (We had given up the game because Jesse had finally gotten sick of loosing). I watched from the corner of my eye as he lit up a cigarette. "Damn dawg, you just got rejected from the afterlife. If you don't cut that shit out, they might accept this time."

"Relax man, I met the Grim Reaper and he told me I still have a few years left before he comes to take me to the big race track in the sky,"Jesse said taking a drag from his cigarette. He left the room and returned with a pillow and a blanket. He walked over to the couch under the front window, where he plopped down and made himself comfortable before finishing both his cigarette and his beer.

I looked over my shoulder at Letty, who had fallen asleep. She looked like she might be cold, so I waited until I was sure Jesse was asleep before I escaped to my room to get a few blankets and pillows.

Sometimes I didn't know how I felt about Letty. She and I, like the rest of the team, had been friends for a very long time and we'd been trough some hard times that had left us with a stronger bond than most people shared. This was something that was never spoken about, but was there none the less. Even though Letty is a tough girl, it's always been my job to look out for her when Dom is unable to. I found myself doing this a lot. In fact, sometimes I secretly wondered why she was still with him after all the things he had done to her. I quicky dismiss all these thoughts though because I know where my loyalties lie. They lie with the team, my family.

When I returned, I gently lifted Letty's head and placed a pillow beneath it and then covered her with a quilt. She groaned softly as I did so, causing me to jerk my hand away from her. I threw the extra pillow onto the floor between the sofa where she slept and the, now black and silent, TV. Soon I found myself lying on the cold floor looking up at her, lost in thought.


	5. One hell of a way to start the day

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. (I wish more of you would write them!) I'm trying to update as fast as I can, but I've just been really busy lately. I hope you enjoy this...things are about to heat up! Keep reading and reviewing.

* * *

The next morning-

Letty's P.O.V.

I kept my eyes shut when I woke. I could tell the room was filled with the morning sun without opening them. The faint aroma of something cooking in the kitchen filled the air, which meant Mia had come over to cook us breakfast, as she often did. I wondered where Maddy was. Normally, she would have snuck into our room and jumped on the bed trying to wake Dom and me up. I opened my eyes and realized I wasn't in our room. I had forgotten that I had spent the night on the sofa.

I got up, carefully stepping over Leon who was passed out on the floor, and made my way into the kitchen.

"Hey Mia, that doesn't smell half bad," I commented, still half asleep. I glanced briefly in her direction before asking, "So where's your entourage this morning?"

"Oh, you must be Letty," an unfamiliar voice answered. I quickly jerked my head back toward the person I had though was Mia. This time I took a closer look and realized the only trait this person shared with Mia was long dark hair. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the person staring back at me was of oriental decent and happened to be wearing nothing but one of Vince's old tee shirts.

"Yeah I am. Who the hell are you," I snarled. I'm a very territorial person and I've never been one to get along with other females, needless to say, the idea of some bitch playing house in my territory didn't set to well with me.

"I'm Trish," she replied, keeping her cool. " I came home with Vince last night."

There was something about this girl that I absolutely couldn't stand."Is that so? You must be special then," I said, like a cat toying with is prey before making the kill.

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well usually when he brings ska..., I mean girls, home they don't make it til sunrise," I said with a sly grin, moving a little closer to her.

She looked amused. "He warned me about what a bitch you can be in the morning."

It was too damn early for me to deal with this shit. I could slowly feel the rage rising in me. I close enough to whisper in her ear, "Trust me, it's not just the morning."

I turned and walked back toward the living room, "Next time, I'll have to remind Vince to take out the trash after he finishes his late night snack."

Shortly after I finished insulting Trish, the real Mia entered the kitchen through the back door, Maddy following closely behind. Mia appeared to be slightly shocked when she saw Trish. Maddy, on the other hand, didn't even notice the stranger standing next to the stove. Instead she came running straight toward me.

"Letty! Letty," Maddy squealed as she pulled on the bottom of my wife- beater. "Come on! Mommy said you would watch cartoons with me while she makes us breakfast!" She grabbed my hand and began pulling me toward the living room when she finally noticed Trish. "Who are you," she asked looking her over, " why are you in your underwear? Don't you know there are boys here?"

I didn't allow Trish to answer. "Don't pay attention to her Maddy," I said leading her into the living room. "She'll be gone soon."

"Gee Letty, I sure did enjoy our girl talk," Trish called after me, "maybe next time we can talk about Vince. He was the best I've had since...well since Dominic Toretto."

That was it. I had known from the moment I met this bitch that she was just begging for an ass beating. Now I had reason to give her one. At first she had just annoyed me, but now she had crossed the line. I looked down at Maddy, trying to hide the anger that I was feeling, "Why don't you wake Leon and Jesse up and tell them to watch TV with you. I'll be there in a second." She did as I had said and I went back into the kitchen. Mia looked from me to Trish, knowing what was about to happen. She left the room and joined Maddy. I heard Maddy asking Mia, "Mommy, is Letty going to hurt that lady?"


	6. Hostile

Letty's P.O.V.

I stared at Trish, as I contemplated exactly how to react to her statement. As I stared at her I realized exactly who she was. How could I have been so dense? She was the sister of our most hated enemy. She was Trish Tran, Johnny Tran's beloved sister. Suddenly, I was not only enraged, but also disgusted. We had never actually met, but I had heard enough stories about her to make it feel like we had.

I knew that Vince had the tendency to be a total moron at times, but this was definitely his shining moment. How could he have brought this bitch into our house knowing who she was? Not only was she one of Dom's many flings and the sister of the man that had almost taken Jesse's life, but she had the nerve to invade my territory and bring up a topic that was not something to discuss at the breakfast table, let alone in front of Maddy. The very sight of her sickened me.

"Why don't you go get your shit and I'll let you leave in one piece," I finally said, making an attempt to remain calm.

Trish grinned at me before replying, "Listen bitch, I have just as much right to be here as you."

Just as I was about to snap, I heard Leon speak up from behind me. I turned to see him eyeballing the strange, half dressed girl that stood in our kitchen."Damn girl, you're brave. Do you have any idea who you're talkin' to like that?"

"No Leon, she was brave for coming into our house. Now she's just plain stupid for stayin'," I said, in the usual icy tone I took when I got annoyed to the point of violence.

"What is it with you people? You act like this bitch is a trained assassin or something," Trish remarked.

Leon laughed as he walked over to the fridge and removed his first beer of the morning. " Obviously, you're not from around here. Cuz if you were you'd know better than to get on this one's bad side."

"Well for your information I am from around here and if you had your facts straight you'd know that I'm from a very powerful family," Trish said, trying to sound both defensive and seductive, as she moved closer to Leon.

I watched as he looked he over. At first he appeared interested, but I knew it'd take a lot more that to get Leon's attention. I laughed as he rejected her, "Look, I'm not buyin' what your sellin'. I'm not the type of guy that's into left overs."

Trish was clearly humiliated. She tried to recover by directing an insult at me. "Oh, so I guess she's more your type," she said pointing at me, "Didn't you just tell me that you don't like left overs."

Leon looked at me, stunnedthat I hadn't thrown Trish to the ground yet. I gave him a look that said, " if you would just be patient the show is about to begin." He grinned, as did I.

"You better be glad that I'm in a generous mood this morning. Normally, I would have had you on the ground begging for mercy by now," I snarled.

"Oh, that brings back memories," Trish said, walking past me, toward the living room.

"I don't wanna know what you a Vince did . I just want you to get outta my sight." I tried to resist the urge to punch her as she walked by.

She leered at me before adding, " Who said I was talking about Vince?"

It was at that exact moment that I finally snapped. I knew she was referring to Dom. She had know this entire time that she was in Dominic Toretto's house and that I was his girlfriend. I could imagine the joy she felt when she realized that Vince lived with Dom. I knew that everything she had said this morning was only done to get a reaction out of me. I quit thinking and instead took a moment to enjoy what I was now doing.

Shortly after she had stopped talking, I had thrown her to the floor. I now sat on top of her, pounding my fist into her body. I started with her face, then moved to her stomach, then back to her face. I watched as blood began pouring from her nose and I was filled with a sick feeling of pleasure. She tried desperately to defend herself, but she wasn't having any luck because I had her pinned. I almost couldn't remember the last time I had enjoyed something this much.

My fun was soon cut short. Vince had finally emerged from his room and began screaming obscenities at Leon and I. I looked up briefly as he yelled at Leon to stop watching and pull me off. Jesse now stood in the doorway surveying the scene. He must have just woken up because he was rubbing his eyes. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so the scars from his bullet wounds were visible. This made me hit Trish harder and harder.

A few seconds later I felt someone trying to lift me off of my victim. I glanced up to find Dom staring down at me, a look of concern on his face. I looked back at Trish, who was now still. I could see why Dom appeared to be worried.

"Just calm down," he whispered softly into my ear, "get off of her and come with me."

My arms had begun to hurt, so I did as I was told. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

" Come on Dom," Leon said, breaking the brief silence, " they were just about to get along."

Jesse and Leon began to laugh and much to my surprise, so did Dom. Vince however did not find the comment funny.

"Dammit Letty," he snarled, " Can't you control yourself and stop acting like some rabid animal for five minutes!"

I was not in the mood to be tampered with. "Yeah Vince. I'll stop acting like a rabid animal, when you develop a better taste in women and stop bring sluts into our house!"

"She must not be too bad, Dom had fun with her once didn't he," Vince snapped. Everyone remained quiet, waiting for my reaction. I could tell he immediately felt bad for what he had said. I responded by punching him in the face.

Dom attempted to hold me back, but I broke free of his grip. I gave Vince, who now stared at me blankly, the most vicious look I could summon.

I pointed at Jesse before yelling, "How could you bring that bitch into our house after what her brother did to him?"

Everyone looked shocked by my statement except Vince. Vince just looked ashamed. The rest of the team had just realized who I had been beating. They realized that the blood covered girl that was now leaning against the stove was Johnny Tran's sister.

Trish finally managed enough energy to speak, " You just wait until my family hears about what you have done to me."

I gave her the same venomous look I had given Vince before speaking, "Trust me, sweetheart. I'm not the least bit worried. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going upstairs to wash this blood off of me. When I get back you better be gone."

I started to leave, then turned back to Trish. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. How are your brother and your cousin doing in prison anyway? I'm sure guys like them are real popular behind bars, if ya know what I mean." With that to stomped off upstairs.


	7. What did I say?

Ok guys, if I don't start getting more feedback, I'm gonna quit writing. All that I can assume when I don't get any reviews is that my story sucks and nobody is reading it. I appreciate all of you that have given me positive reinforcement. It's been your kind reviews that have kept this story going. So if you wanna see more, then you better hook me up! LOL! Thanks and see ya!

* * *

Letty's P.O.V.

Later that morning, after I cleaned myself up and got ready for the rest of the day, I returned downstairs, where I found the living room empty. The sound of laughter suddenly erupted from the back of the house. Upon further inspection I found Brian, Roman, Tej, and Suki seated around the dining room table playing poker.

"Hey," Brian said, glancing in my direction as he laid down his cards, "I heard about your rampage this morning. Sorry I missed it."

"I wish I woulda been around so I coulda made some money off that action," Tej chimed in as he carefully counted his winnings. Everyone began to laugh and I smiled a little, remembering the events of the morning.

"You want in," Suki asked, shuffling the deck.

"Naw, I think I'm gonna chill for a while," I said, returning to the living room, " I already lost my temper once today." I grabbed an import magazine from the coffee table before falling back, onto the sofa where Jesse had slept earlier.

It wasn't long before I heard mini Converse high-tops racing across the hard wood floor in my direction. I put my magazine down as Maddy leapt onto my lap. Even though Maddy had clung to me from the time she was able to walk, sometimes I didn't know how to react to her spontaneous displays of affection. After all, it is kinda strange to be idolized.

A few seconds later, after she made herself nice and comfortable, she picked up the magazine and began flipping through the pages. I studied the tiny person on my lap closely. She was a truly adorable child. Maddy had Mia's facial features and her long, dark hair and Brian's bright, blue eyes. She also shared Mia's sense of style, a denim sun-dress, and Brian's taste in shoes.

"I like this one," she said pointing at one of the pictures.

"Do you know what that is," I asked, testing the knowledge she had picked up from me and the guys, not to mention Brian.

"I think it's a...Ni...Nissan," she stated cautiously, as she struggled to remember. I grinned at the expression on her little face. It was one of deep concentration.

"A Nissan what," I asked, pushing her a little further.

"A Nissan...Sil...Sil...Silvia," she answered, smiling up at me in triumph.

"That's my girl," Brian added, watching the two of us as he took a seat on the sofa across the room. He grinned, clearly happy to see that Maddy was becoming a tiny, female, car junkie like both her mother and me.

"Can I have one of those," Maddy inquired, still pointing at Silvia, "I want a pink one!"

"You'll have to talk to your Daddy and Uncle Dom about that," I answered, looking over at Brian, who was now laughing.

"I think you created a monster, Let," he said.

"Hey," I replied defensively, "I don't think I'm the only one around here who's guilty of that."

He continued to laugh before answering his daughters question, "Sure cutie, I'll get you one...when you turn 16...and I'll even get Jesse and Suki to paint it pink for you." This made Maddy's face light up even more.

"And I'll teach you how to drive it," I added, flipping to the next page of the magazine in Maddy's hands.

"What's that thing," Maddy asked, now pointing at a new picture, "It looks like a metal snail."

"That's a...," I began, then the sound of footsteps got my attention. I watched angrily as Dom and Vince emerged from the kitchen, followed by Trish.

"It's a turbo," I finished, lifting Maddy from my lap and placing her on the floor, "Go look at this with your papi. I'll be back in a second."

Maddy did as she had been instructed and I followed Dom, Vince, and Trish into the entry way.

"I thought I made it clear, that when I came back down here, this skank was to be outta this house," I growled, as I glared at them. I notice that Trish was now wearing clothes, if that's what you chose to call them. The blood had been washed from her face, but the injuries she had received from our fight were still very noticeable. "So why is she still here? Do I need to further persuade her to get outta my house?"

I was both appalled and enraged at what happened next. Vince was first to open his mouth, "Well Letty, this isn't _your_ house, it's Dom's, and you're not the only one that lives in it. I think it's kinda funny that _you're_ the only one that _ever_ has any objections about who we bring home."

I waited for Dom to say something, anything, but instead he remained silent. He just stood there with his muscular arms folded across his equally muscular chest. This further fueled my rage.

I eyed Dom angrily before speaking."Where are Leon and Jesse?" I watched as they searched the area with their eyes before continuing, "Well, it looks like I'm not the only one who has a problem with the fact that you brought the sister of our enemy into _Dom's_ house. You win Vince. I guess your skank gets to stay, but I ain't." With that, I grabbed my keys from the coffee table and headed for the front door.

Maddy leapt from her seat next to Brian and chased after me. I stopped as she flung her tiny body at my legs.

"Where are you going? Can I come," she pleaded, her angelic little face appeared troubled.

"No kid," I replied, trying to mask my anger. I hoped that if my inner fury was apparent, that she at least knew that she had not been the cause of it.

Maddy looked saddened by my answer. "But you were telling me about those metal snails," she whined. I could see Dom grinning out of the corner of my eye. It was hard for me not to do so, I probably would have had I not been so furious.

I knelt down in front of Maddy and did something that shocked the hell out of everyone watching. I gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before replying, "I'll get you a surprise while I'm gone, and then when I get back, I'll teach you whatever you wanna know about cars."

Maddy bounced up and down with joy. She gave me a huge hug before racing across the room to where Brian sat.

I studied the expressions on the faces of my audience. Dom looked slightly pleased. Vince appeared emotionless. Trish...I didn't wanna waste my time looking at her. Mia now sat on the sofa next to Brian, Maddy perched on her lap. Maddy was still consumed with joy and both Brian and Mia looked amused. I tried to make my escape before anyone spoke, after all I was still furious.

I was half way out the door when Trish got brave and piped up.

"Gosh, Letty," she said, looking at me with that shit eating grin of hers plastered on her bruised face, "for a second there, I almost mistook you for a human being."

I peeked back into the living room to make sure Maddy was preoccupied before replying, "I'm glad your parents are loaded cuz I think you're gonna need one hell of a nose job."

* * *

When I got outside, I found Leon and Jesse peering under the hood of the Jetta. They looked up as I passed them on the way to my car.

"Hey girl," Leon called after me, a toothpick protruding from his mouth while he spoke, "Where you headed in such a hurry? It must be pretty important since you blew right past me and Jess without a word."

"I guess she just doesn't like us anymore," Jesse added playfully.

"You guys know it isn't like that," I said, as I unlocked the door of my 240. "I just need to be alone right now...so I can cool off."

"You don't need to ride around to cool off, we got a hose in the back," Leon retorted.

"Yeah Letty," Jesse said, "Can't we spend time alone...uh together?"

"That kinda defeats the purpose of being alone doesn't it," I replied, trying hard not to laugh. Leon and Jesse were two of the only people that could make me smile when I was in a bad mood.

"Ok fine," Jesse said, trying to look disappointed, "do you think that when you're done being alone, that you could meet us at the garage? I wanna show you some designs and shit that I've been working on."

"Sure man," I answered. Just when I thought it was safe, Leon ran up in front of me and tossed my over his shoulder.

"Leon," I squealed, "I'm not in the mood, put me down!"

"You said you need to cool down and I told you that there's a perfectly good hose in the backyard," Leon said, before he, Jesse and I burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

'Don't even freakin' think about it," I yelled, punching him in the right ass cheek.


	8. Temper, temper

Calm down guys! I'm not gonna quit writing! Thanks to all of you that have given me your wonderful reviews. Now that I know how much you're enjoying this, I promise that I won't quitwriting. Thank you andplease keep reading and reviewing!

* * *

Letty's P.O.V.

I left the house in a better mood thanks to Leon and Jesse. I should have known things would get better with them around, they always tended to.

After I finally made my escape from the house, I drove around recklessly for awhile with the windows down and the music up, letting the hot L.A. breeze blow away the rest of my hostility.

I stopped at the first toy store I saw to buy Maddy something as I had promised. I roamed the aisles for awhile before finally reaching my destination. Luckily they had exactly what I was looking for, a remote control Nissan Silvia S15.

Satisfied with my purchase, I left the store and headed toward the garage. When I arrived it was deserted.

"What freakin' lazy bums," I said sarcastically, to myself , as I exited my car, "Is nobody as dedicated to their work as I am?"

I unlocked the door and went inside to wait for the guys to show up. I decided to get some work done while I waited. Luckily, I had dressed for the occasion. I grabbed some of my tools and disappeared under the Prelude Leon and I had been working on all week.

I hadn't been working long when I was disturbed by, almost deafening, banging on one of the massive metal doors. I rolled the creeper out from under the car and shouted, " The side door is unlocked," assuming it was just Leon and Jesse being lazy.

"It's the LAPD ma'am ," a unfamiliar man's voice shouted back, causing my heart to speed up.

I stood, wrench still in hand, and cautiously approached the side entrance. I slowly swung the door open and called, "Like I said, the door's opened," trying hard to keep my cool.

Seconds later, two uniformed officers, a man and a woman, followed me inside. "What can I do for you," I asked, "I take it you're not here for a tune up."

The female officer laughed before replying, " No, actually we're here for some information."

I stared at them blankly, waiting for one of them to go into further detail. I had been filled with a strange feeling ever since the two of them had followed me inside. Normally I would have felt this way because they were cops, but there was more to it than that this time. I looked them both over while I waited for them to speak.

The man was white and had no defining features, other than the fact that he came across as an asshole, before he even opened his mouth. The woman was of Hispanic decent and had a faint accent. She seemed to be a bit on the bitchy side as well.

"We need some information on a former officer," the man finally said. I knew who he was referring to before he finished, "We believe you might know him."

"You must have me mistaken with someone else. No offense, but I don't associate with cops."

The woman laughed again. The sound of her laughter was beginning to annoy me.

"Alright," she finally said, "how 'bout you cut the shit and tell us what you really know."

I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "Listen, I wish I could help you, but like I told you, I don't know any cops."

They acted quicky, I never even saw it coming. In a matter of seconds, the wrench was knocked from my hand, and I was grabbed by the male officer. He gripped me tightly as I struggled to free myself. He was a lot stronger than he looked. The woman picked up the wrench from the concrete floor and slapped it continuously against her palm as she paced in front of me.

"Did I mention I hate cops," I spat at them.

The woman grinned at me before she slapped me across the face. She hit me hard enough to bust my lip. I could taste the blood.

"You're lucky this moron is strong enough to hold me back," I hissed at her, still struggling to free myself, "otherwise your blood would be spilled all over this floor."

"He always told me you were a tough girl," the woman said, continuing to pace back and forth.

"Yeah, I heard plenty of stories about you while I was in prison," the man added, only further confusing me.

"Would one of you dumbasses stop trying to intimidate me long enough to explain what the hell you're talkin' about," I said, as I attempted to kick at the goon latched onto me.

"Let's just say that we owe someone in your "family" a little payback," the woman replied coyly.

"Yeah Letty," the man whispered into my ear, "We've been watching you for quite awhile now."

"Like we already said, we've been told that you're the tough girl of the "team". So we decided that we would us you to get our message across," the woman said. I flinched as she acted as though she was going to strike me with the wrench. My reaction seemed to please her.

"Well it'd help if I knew what your "message" was," I laughed, my sarcasm very apparent.

"When you wake up, I want you to tell him that we're coming," the woman said, clearly getting angry.

"Do you have a business card of something, cuz I'm still in the dark about who the hell you are and who you want me to deliver this message to," I growled at both of them.

"You're about to be in the dark," the woman snapped, bringing the wrench down hard on my skull.

* * *

Leon's P.O.V.

The drama erupted into the front yard shortly after Letty was out of sight. Jesse and I both stopped working on the Jetta when we heard the front door slam.

"Can't this wait Dominic," Vince yelled as he and Trish walked toward his car, "I gotta bring Trish home."

"Dammit Vince," Dom's voice roared from the porch. "What is your problem? Why did you talk to her like that?"

"I think the real question is," Vince retaliated, "why did you let me talk to her that way?"

I directed my attention back at Dom. I knew that Vince's words had cut him pretty deep and that things were about to get a whole lot worse. Bringing up the fact that Dom had hurt Letty was almost a guaranteed ass beating. I looked back at Jesse and rolled my eyes as a grin crept across my face.

"I overlooked the fact that you brought that particular female into my house and this is how you repay me," Dom finally said after a long pause, "I told you last night, I have plans for Letty and I tonight and I swear to God if you screw them up, Vince!"

"Do you really think Letty's gonna want to have anything to do with you right now," Vince asked. Man he was brave to talk to Dom that way, or maybe just stupid. I waited for Dom to jump off the porch and take Vince down, but it never happened.

Instead he chose the non-violent route and threatened him, "I don't wanna see your ass in this house unless Letty's with you! So after you drop that bitch off, I suggest you go find Letty and apologize."


	9. An unpleasnt discovery

Leon's P.O.V.

Jesse and I knew exactly where to find Letty, so we decided to help Vince find her. I lead the way in my Skyline. Vince had finally ditched Trish, so he rode with Jesse in the Jetta. Dom had stayed at the house getting things ready for Letty's return. He wouldn't tell us the exact details of his plan, but I assumed it was something big because he seemed very excited about it.

Sure enough Letty's 240 was parked at the garage. I was almost sure that she was gonna be pissed at Jesse and me for taking so long. I parked next to her car and waited for Jesse and Vince.

"You should just apologize to her dawg," I said as Vince exited the car, "You better hope that she forgives you, too."

"Yeah," Jesse added, not far behind, "No shit."Vince replied with a scowl.

I was the first to enter the garage. I noticed Letty's feet sticking out from under the Prelude she and I had been working on for the past week.

"Letty," I called out to her. My voice echoed in the garage. "Sorry it took so long, but"

It was at that moment I knew something was very wrong. I raced across the garage and pulled her from beneath the car. There was a pool of red liquid forming on the concrete floor and I was upset to find it was coming from her pretty head.

I knelt down on the floor and took her limp body into my arms.

"Vince! Jesse! Hurry your slow asses up," I yelled as loud as I could, "Get in here and help me! NOW!"

"Don't do this to me girl," I whispered into Letty's hair, "don't you dare do this to me."

I suddenly felt an unbearable pain. I realized that the thought of loosing her was actually physically painful to me. I couldn't let that happen.

"Dammit," I yelled, louder this time.

"What's going on," Jesse asked clearly confused by the whole situation.

"Go in the office and call Dom," I ordered, "tell him that Letty...I dunno what happened, but just...just hurry up!"

"Oh my God," Vince mumbled, coming upon the scene, "what have I done?"

"What the hell are you talking about," I asked, then I realized he was in shock and wasn't making sense, "Vince, Listen to me. Get find some rags or something to stop the bleeding."

He did as he was told and I was left alone with Letty again for a few seconds. I looked down at her. I was terrified that she wouldn't make it if we didn't hurry.

"Please God don't do this to me girl," I pleaded, knowing that she couldn't hear me.

"I love you," I even surprised myself with those three words, but I figured what the hell she can't hear me anyway. I gave her a brief kiss on the forehead before I began to bark out more orders to Jesse and Vince.


	10. Stiff sheets and blinding lights

Major thanks go out to all of you that have given me reviews. I guess my threat worked. LOL! Please keep 'em coming and the story will keep on going!

* * *

Dom's P.O.V.

I had spent most of the afternoon searching for it. I couldn't believe that I had misplaced something of such importance.

After what seemed like hours of searching, I finally found it. I had forgotten that I had kept it tucked away in one of my dresser drawers. I took it out and looked at it, almost mesmerized.

I heard the phone ring suddenly downstairs and I was jolted away from it's hypnotic power. I slipped it into my pants pocket and trudged downstairs to the phone.

"Yeah," I said, picking up the receiver.

"Dom," Jesse's replied, the fear in his voice was apparent. His voice sounded very similar to the way it had before he was nearly killed by Johnny Tran.

"What is it," I demanded.

"Something's happened and I think you better get down to the garage real quick," he replied, his voice becoming shaky.

"If it's trouble with one of the cars, it can wait," I said, feeling a bit calmer.

"Shit Dom, I wish it was that, but it's not," he said, weakly, " It's Letty."

Jesse may have continued talking, but if he did I wasn't listening. I dropped the phone and picked up my keys from the coffee table.

Moments later I was out the door and in my RX-7, speeding toward the garage.

* * *

Letty's P.O.V.

I woke up in the worst place imaginable, the hospital. I realized this without ever opening my eyes. I was able to tell from the sterile smell and the stiff sheets. At first, I couldn't figure out why I would be in such a place, but the intense pain in my head soon reminded me.

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes, bright light almost blinding me. My sight finally focused and I realized two people were in the room with me. Dom grasp my left hand tightly and Leon held onto my right. Looks of relief flooded their faces when they witnessed my eyes open.

Dom was the first to speak. "Thank God." was all he could manage. Dom had always been a man of few words, but this time I realized that I had actually scared him so badly that he was unable to put together a full sentence.

"Dammit girl," Leon said, breaking the awkward tension, " I can't leave you alone for five minutes without having to bail you out of a bad situation."

"You better be glad that I was out cold when those nurses were poking me with needles or else the situation would have been a whole lot worse," I added playfully, as I notice a mark on my arm, where I had apparently received a shot of some kind.

The three of us began to laugh, but I stopped abruptly when the excruciating pain in my head returned. Dom stopped laughing as well and looked at my with an almost heartbreaking expression of concern.

"You ok baby," he asked, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

"Yeah," I replied, trying hard to dismiss the worried looks I was receiving yet again, "I think the pain killers are just wearing off."

"Do you want me to get a nurse or something," Leon asked, as he began to stand.

"Naw, I'll be fine," I lied.

"Leon, would you mind leaving Letty and I alone for a minute," Dom asked cautiously, trying not to offend anyone.

"Sure dawg, I need to go tell everybody that Letty's ok," Leon said, sounding a tiny bit hurt.

"I'll see ya later baby girl," he added, now standing. He leaned over and kissed my forehead as he loosened his grip on my hand.

"No," I said quickly, grabbing his hand just as it began to slip away, "I want my 'protector' here, too."

Dom appeared momentarily annoyed, but he soon got over it and smiled before replying, "Sure baby, anything you want."


	11. Sweet release

Letty's P.O.V.

The laceration on my head was completely stitched up and I was kept a few hours for observation before I was released. Dom and Leon escorted me to the parking lot where Vince and Jesse were patiently awaiting my return.

"Shit, I'm glad to see you in one piece," Jesse greeted me, as he carefully put his arms around me, pulling me into a friendly hug.

Jesse finally pulled away and Vince continued to keep his distance. For a moment I assumed nothing had changed between us since our fight, but ended up surprising me.

Vince smiled warmly as he pulled me into an almost gentle embrace.

"I'm sorry, Letty," he spoke softly into my ear, " I never should have talked to you the way I did. If it wasn't for me being a selfish asshole, you never would have left and you definitely wouldn't have ended up here."

" I must be on some really good pain killers," I laughed, "because I've got to be hallucinating."

"Nope," Leon announced jokingly, "Vince really is human after all and that was an apology he just gave you."

Vince looked at me, clearly embarrassed, so I tried to reassure him, " Don't worry man, I can't remember the exact details that lead to me being here, but I do recall that you had nothing to do with it. I'm sorry about being a bitch and slapping you, that I do remember."

"Shit, this has been one weird day," Jesse said, fighting back laughter, "First Vince, now Letty. I didn't know that either one of 'em knew how to say the words 'I'm sorry'."

"It's not a frequent part of my vocabulary," I replied, punching Jesse lightly on the upper arm.

"Ok baby," Dom said after he stopped laughing, " I think we better get you outta here."

He opened the passenger door of his RX-7 and lead me to the seat. Everyone had begun to disband from the area. I shouted at Vince before he got into Jesse's Jetta.

"Hey Vince," I yelled, getting his attention, "Would ya go get my car from the garage? The keys are in the office on the desk."

"Sure," he said, turning back toward the Jetta.

"Oh yeah," I shouted, getting his attention for the second time, "You better be careful with it, too. If it comes back to me with one scratch, I'll give you the ass beating I should have given you this morning."

He smiled before disappearing into Jesse's car.

* * *

I leaned against the door of the RX-7 as I rode down the freeway, toward our house, with Dom. I had the window opened, allowing my hair to dance wildly in the breeze. The hot afternoon sun felt good on my skin and for the first time in awhile I felt relaxed. Of corse that could have been one of the many benefits of the pain killers I was on.

Dom momentarily took his eyes off the road and focused on me. I looked up and met his gaze.

He grinned at me as he said, " When we get home, you need to take a warm bath and then go lay in bed."

"Is that so," I asked coyly, "What if I don't wanna?"

"You will," he answered, never loosing the grin, "I'll make ya."

"Face it Dom, I'm a big girl and I don't have to do anything I don't wanna, so what makes you think you have the power to force me to do something, "I said, in a sarcastic tone.

" I have my ways," he answered. We were now stopped in traffic so he leaned over and gave me a long kiss.

* * *

Later when we were finally home, Dom lead me upstairs to the bathroom where he filled the massive claw foot bathtub with warm water for me.

Mia hadn't arrived yet and Dom was afraid that something might happen to me if I was left alone so he sat on the counter top as I bathed. I hid behind the shower curtain so all that was visible were my long tan legs.

I propped them up on the edge of the tub in an attempt to tease Dom. I peeked around the curtain to see if it was working and sure enough, he was staring at them mesmerized. He was so predictable sometimes.

I knew it must be killing him to know what was just a few feet away from him, hidden behind a shower curtain. Normally, he would have thrown it aside, but today he was being the perfect gentleman.

"Letty," he finally said.

"Yeah," I replied, leaning back in the tub, being careful not to get my head wet.

"What happened to you to day," he asked.

That was the question I had been dreading since I woke up at the hospital.

"I don't know," I replied, "I really can't remember."

"Well did someone do this to you or was it an accident," he asked, his concern now very obvious.

"I...hmm...I can't remember," I said, struggling to remember the events.

"Well I hope you remember soon," Dom announced, anger rising in his voice, "Cuz I swear to God, if somebody did this to you and I find out who it was..."

"Dom, I appreciate your concern, but don't talk that way," I said, remembering what happened when his father died, "Now throw me a towel and then turn around."

"Damn you and your evil ways! How dare you tease me that way," he said playfully, as he tossed a towel in my direction.


	12. Clarity

Letty's P.O.V.

When I was finally dried off and dressed, Dom picked me up and carried me into our bedroom, the way a groom would carry his bride across the threshold.

"You realize I only suffered a mild head injury, right," I asked as he sat me down on the bed, "My legs still work fine as far as I know."

"I know," he said, as he pulled back the covers and waited for me to lay down, " I just want to take care of you."

I laid down on my stomach and Dom covered me with a blanket as he sat next to me.

"Why don't you go to sleep? Maybe when you wake up, you'll remember what happened," Dom said, beginning to rub my back.

"Are you gonna stay with me," I asked, yawning.

"Of corse," he replied, kissing my forehead gently, "I'll never leave you...again."

* * *

Leon's P.O.V.

All the beer I had been drinking finally caught up to me and I felt the urge to pee. As I walked upstairs to the bathroom, I decided to check on Letty.

I stood quietly in the doorway of the bedroom she and Dom shared. Letty was asleep on the bed, Dom sat next to her with his back toward me.

I was struck with a moment of clarity as I watched Letty sleep. It became clear to me that I loved her and wanted to protect her, but not the same way Dom did.

As I have said before, the relationship she and I have is special. I meant it when I told her I loved her in the garage, but the words had a different meaning coming from me. I had strong feelings for her alright, but they were not the romantic kind. I loved Letty the way a big brother loves a little sister and that was it.

"Hey man," I said after Dom realized I was present, " How is she?"

"She's fine...I think," Dom replied as he looked back at Letty.

"Has she told you what happened to her yet," I asked, lingering in the doorway.

"Nope, she doesn't remember," Dom said. He began to rub Letty's back softly. I turned to leave, but I was stopped by Dom's words.

"Thank you, Leon," Dom said.

"For what," I asked, even though I was pretty sure what he meant.

"For looking out for her when I can't," he replied. Dom smiled, but he appeared some how pained.

"No problem, dawg. You guys are my family," I said, makingmy way down the hall to the bathroom.


	13. Monsters

1Hey everybody, I finally got the time to add a long over due chapter! I hope you enjoy it. It may not seem to contain anything of great importance, but pay very close attention because this chapter contains things that will become extremely important to the future events of this story. Please review! Oh yeah, after I finish this story, I already have a plan for the sequel.

* * *

Letty's P.O.V.

"Letty, Letty, Letty," an unidentifiable voice called out, causing me to come out of my dreamless sleep. I felt the bed shaking beneath me and I struggled to open my eyes.

"What," I groaned as my eyes finally opened.

Maddy stopped bouncing on the bed and stared at me. I smiled weakly at her, still half asleep.

"Are you sick," she asked, a look of concern washed over her.

"No kid, I think I'll be all right," I said, slowly sitting up.

"Good," she replied, "Now you can teach me about the metal snails like you promised."

"Do you think we can do it later," I groaned. " I'm still kinda tired."

Maddy looked disappointed, but then she brightened as she slowly inched toward me.

"Can I stay with you," she asked, catching me by surprise, "I'll be quiet. I promise."

" I guess," I replied, "You're gonna get bored though."

"No, I won't," Maddy protested as she pulled back the covers and snuggled up next to me, "I like being around you."

I didn't know how to react.

"You're not too bad either kid," I said, putting an arm around her.

She looked up at me seriously.

"Can I tell you a secret," she whispered.

"Sure," I whispered back.

"I'm afraid to sleep by myself," she confided.

"Why," I asked, trying not to laugh.

"There's a monster in my closet. He whispers to me at night," she said, the fear in her voice was evident, "I hate him and I want him to go away."

"Have you ever seen him," I asked, finding it hard to keep my composure.

"No," she said, burrowing deeper under the blanket, "I'm too scared to look."

"Well if you've never seen it, then how do you know it's there," I asked.

Maddy stared at me as though she couldn't believe I'd said something so stupid. She looked like she could tear up any second so I tried to think of something comforting to tell her. This was going to be tricky since comforting really wasn't part of my job description.

"Ok," I finally said, "here's what we'll do. If that stupid monster tries to mess with you again tonight, you let me know."

"What are you gonna do," Maddy asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Well, I'm gonna send your Uncle Dom in to beat him up. Then Leon and I are gonna capture it. Jesse's really good with computers, so after we catch it we'll get him to sell it on E Bay," I offered, "How's that sound?"

"Umm hmm," Maddy replied happily as she clapped her tiny hands.

I looked up and noticed Leon standing in the doorway smirking at me.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," he said in his all too familiar joking tone, "I thought I was gonna have to come sing to motivate you to get up."

"Thank God Maddy woke me up," I laughed, "cuz I definitely, definitely, don't wanna here you sing."

"Yeah it's probably for the best," he continued, "I've been known to seduce plenty of women with this set of pipes."

"Is that so," I asked. "I thought the only way you could 'seduce' a woman was with spiked drink in one hand and a gun in the other."

"Ouch Letty," Leon said, pretending to be hurt, "watch where you spit that venom of yours, it burns."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I know the ladies love you. I'm sure it's because of your car though, not because you're a good guy."

"Damn, I think you need to go back to bed ice princess," Leon shot back.

"I'm just playin man," I said with a laugh. "You know where you really stand in my book."

"I know," he added with a grin, "You find me totally irresistible. It's ok Letty, lots of ladies find it hard to resist my charm."

"Yeah Leon, you keep on thinking that," I said, rolling my eyes.

"So what are you up to midget," Leon asked, finally acknowledging Maddy's presence. "Did I overhear you telling Letty about a monster in your closet?"

I watched Maddy's face turn a bright shade of pink and contort in embarrassment. She looked close to tears for a second time.

Leon must have noticed the little girl's insecurity about the subject because he knew exactly what to say to prevent the water works.

"I happen to know a lot about closet monsters," he told her. Maddy looked at him skeptically. "Seriously. Back in the day, when I was a kid, I had a closet monster."

"No you didn't," Maddy said defensively.

Just then Dom appeared behind Leon in the hallway.

"Leon," he joked, "Why are you torturing my niece?"

"I'm not," Leon replied, stepping out of Dom's way. "We're just swappin' stories."

"And what exactly does a little girl like Maddy know about monsters," Dom bellowed, keeping his good natured tone. "Actually, the better question is what do you know about the subject?"

"They should know a lot about it," I put in. "Just look at who they spend most of their time around."

"Why Letty, I can't imagine who you're talking about," Dom continued, now sitting next to me on the bed.

"If I gave you a mirror, would it be more obvious," I laughed.

"Damn," Leon said, as he leaned against the door facing. "You're on a roll today, ice princess. I think I'm gonna take the kid downstairs before your smart ass attitude rubs off on her."

Maddy hugged both me and Dom before the hopped off the bed and onto Leon's back.

"If you're worried about her becoming a smart ass, I don't think _you_ should take her anywhere," I giggled.

"Haha, touche," Leon murmured as he exited the room. It was just then that I realized that I had forgotten to give Maddy the toy car I had bought for her.

"Leon," I called after him.

"Yeah," he said, appearing in the doorway for a second time.

"Go look in the passenger seat of my car," I instructed. "There's a bag. Please give it to Maddy."

After Leon and Maddy left, Dom asked me how I was feeling. I convinced him that I was fine and he demanded that I get up, take a shower, and get dressed. He informed me that we had somewhere special to go.

* * *

Dom's P.O.V.

I waited downstairs while Letty got ready. Maddy was playing with the remote control car Letty had bought for her, in the livingroom. She stopped briefly to speak to me.

"Uncle Dom," she asked. "Do you love Letty?"

" Yes," I replied, unsure where this was going.

"Me, too," Maddy said. "My mommy and daddy love each other so they got married. Why don't you do that?"

"Maybe I will, one day," I answered. Maddy went back to playing, aparently satisfied with my answer, and I sat there thinking about what she'd asked.


	14. The Change is Made

Dom's P.O.V.

My thoughts were momentarily delayed by the sound of her footsteps on the stairs. My eyes became drawn to her as she gracefully made her way across the room toward me. She is the only woman who's ever had such a hypnotic effect on me. I had known her since childhood, yet she still remained a mystery to me. Maybe that's why I found everything she did so fascinating.

I've never seen another girl that possessed the ability to be both appealing and gorgeous without putting forth any effort. It killed me to think about all the times in the past that I had been unfaithful to the seemingly perfect creature. How could I have been so blinded by my love for speed and my lust for the scantily clad sluts that came with it? She was good at hiding her feelings by playing the role of the tough girl, but so many times I had seen the mixture of pain and rage in her eyes when she caught countless sluts hanging on me at the races and I fumbled for some bullshit excuse. I made a vow to myself right then and there that I wasn't going to be the cause of her pain anymore. I never wanted to witness that look of utter sorrow and rage consume her again.

The subject of pain brings my thoughts back to what happened in the garage a few days ago. Why couldn't she remember? Was it just an accident? Had someone done this to her? Maybe she did remember and she just didn't want to tell me who had inflicted these injuries upon her for fear that I would do something drastic. You would think that I had learned to control my rage and not seek revenge on the people that hurt the ones I love while spending time in jail, the truth is I did, but when it comes to Letty, let's just say she's worth doing time for. I don't know what actually happened in the garage and that is killing me. All I know for sure is that if someone did this to her and I find out who they are, God help their pathetic souls.

"Dom," she spoke, removing me from my reverie, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry baby. I was just thinking," I heard myself respond. I was astonished that my mind had been flooded by all those thoughts within the five seconds it had taken her to reach me. Looking at her now, I realized that I'd had everything I'd ever wanted in a woman right in front of me since I was about twelve years old, I'd just been too dense to realize it.

* * *

Letty's P.O.V.

I could feel him watching me as soon as I began walking down the stairs. This is nothing new, he's kept a close eye on me since he was twelve, I was ten at the time. That must have been when he decided that I needed a protector and he was just the guy for the job. That has been the one constant variable in our relationship. Maybe that's why I find him so familiar and comforting, even in the darkest of situations.

After all this time, I'm still completely drawn to him. That's just Dom though, he has a totally magnetic persona. Despite all the times he hurt me in the past, I couldn't help but come back. At the time I was angry at myself for always coming back to endure more of the same old shit, but now I'm glad I did. Things have a way of changing with time, and things around here certainly had.

"Dom," I said, now standing directly in front of him, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Stupid question. I already knew the answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry baby. I was just thinking," he replied, sounding a bit distracted.

"Oh my God," I said, my voice taking on a tone of both shock and concern. This startled him and he suddenly jerked his head up and stared directly at me, awaiting an explanation.

"Does your head hurt? Do you need me to get you some Advil? Perhaps some ice to cool your brain down," I joked.

A small grin crept onto his face as he replied, "I'm a tough guy, I think I can take the pain."

As I moved closer to him, he reached out and took hold of my hands. He stared up at me again with a smile on his face as though he knew something I didn't. It was about this time that someone began pounding on the front door causing me to jump.

"I guess I should get that," Dom muttered. He leaned over and kissed the bare part of my stomach before getting up and wandering over to the front door. I followed him, curious to know who was waiting on the other side of the door.

Dom swung the door open, revealing a tall, slightly plump, black man standing on the porch. He smiled pleasantly at Dom and me before he spoke.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Torretto," he said.

"Do I know you," Dom asked instinctively.

"Not personally, but I'm sure you've heard of me," the man answered. "I'm Agent Bilkins of the F.B.I."

* * *

My heart began to pound in my chest. Dom looked back at me briefly, his face clouded in confusion. What had we done this time?

"Relax," the man laughed, clearly amused to see us squirm. "I'm not here to haul you off to prison. I'm actually looking for Brian O' Conner."

"Oh," Dom replied as he apprehensively invited Bilkins inside. "He's out back with my sister."

"Nice house," Bilkins said as Dom and I lead him through the house to the back yard, where we found Brian, Mia and Maddy.

"Hey Bilkins," Brian said, nonchalantly. "What brings you out here?"

"You haven't returned my calls lately Brian. I thought we had a deal," Bilkins replied.

Dom looked at Brian furiously. He was clearly pissed that Brian had been in contact with the F.B.I.

"Brian," Dom roared, "Would you like to explain what the hell's going on here? Why did a cop show up at my house? Better yet what is this 'deal' he's talking about?"

Everything fell silent as we waited for Brian's response.

Thirty minutes later Dom had all the answers he wanted. No, Brian wasn't a cop. No, we weren't going to jail. Yes, there was a pissed off ex-con that wanted to kill Brian and Roman. And yes, Bilkins was the guy that had helped get the charges against us dropped.

Now that all that was out of the way, it was time for formal introductions.

"This is my wife, Mia," Brian informed Bilkins. Mia smiled politely.

"Sh's much prettier in person than she is in the surveillance photos. Now I see why you were so distracted," Bilkins said, causing everyone to laugh.

"The little one is my daughter, Maddy," Brian continued, " I don't know where the guys and Suki are. Anyway, the big guy, as you probably guessed, is Dominic Torretto. The lovely lady beside him is his girlfriend, Letty."

Before anyone else had the chance to speak, Dom blurted out something that took us all aback.

"You know what, Brian," he said. "You better change that to my fiancé, Letty. That is if she'll agree."

With that he pulled a ring from his pocket, took me by the left hand and slipped it onto my finger. I stared down at my hand in disbelief.

"Are you serious," I asked as soon as I was able to speak again.

"No," he responded sarcastically, "I just woke up this morning and decided to be a total asshole and offer you the ring that once belonged to my mother because this is all part of a cruel joke that I designed to make you miserable."

"Did this really belong to your mother," I asked still in disbelief.

"Yeah, she said something, before she died, about finding a nice girl, preferably that sweet girl, Letty, from down the street, and asking them to marry me when the time was right," he replied. "So will you?"

"Wow, believe it or not, I've been waiting for you to do this for a long time," I snapped, feeling like myself again.

"So is that a yes," Dom prodded.

"That's a hell yes, dumb ass," I said, kissing him.

Mia ran at me with such force she nearly knocked me to the ground.

"Oh my God Letty," she squealed, "I'm glad my stupid ass brother finally made it official"

A few minutes later the rest of the 'family' showed up. They were introduced to Brian's old friend and were then informed about Dom's proposal. After Dom and I were congratulated by everyone, we escaped back inside to do some celebrating of our own.

Sadly, everyone's joy would be short lived, due to the events that would happen later that night.


	15. What Now?

Letty's P.O.V.

I kissed Dom gently before dragging myself out of our bed and onto my feet. The air in the room felt cold on my bare skin.

"Where are you going," Dom asked, his powerful voice breaking the momentary silence. I looked back at him a noticed he still appeared to be in a euphoric daze.

"To take a shower," I responded.

"You're not going like that," he half asked, half told me as he pointed to my naked body.

"Erm...yeah Dom. That's how you usually do it," I answered in my usual smart ass tone. I knew what he actually meant. There was only one bathroom in the Toretto house, (Yes, I know it's hard to imagine all of us sharing one bathroom.), and I would have to walk down the hallway to reach it.

I watched his eyes widen in frustration before adding,"I'm just kidding dumb ass. Nobody gets to see the goods but you."

I now had my underclothes and Dom's wife-beater on and I was working on my pants when, in one quick motion, Dom grabbed me and drug me back onto the bed with him.

"That better be true," he whispered playfully into my ear, before planting a soft kiss on the back of my neck, sending pleasant chills down my spine.

"Dominic Toretto," I pretended to scold him, "you'll let go of me right now if you know what's good for you."

"As you wish," he said, allowing me to get up.

"Go take a shower and put on something nice," he instructed, give me a motivational slap on the ass, "We're going out, just the two of us."

"Dammit Dominic," I said as I made my way toward the door, "What's gotten in to you lately? First you ask me the question I've secretly been waiting years to hear..."

"Has it really been years," he interrupted.

I ignored his question and continued, "Now you wanna take me out on a date? What next? Are you gonna start naming our unborn children?"

"Well actually," he joked.

"Don't even play with that one, cuz I can assure you that I'm not gonna let that happen for a good five to ten years," I informed. "So keep those bad boys caged up, got it?"

"So there's hope then," he laughed. He saw that I wasn't amused and added, "Yes Letty, I gotcha. Now would you please get ready."

After my shower, I scoured both the closet and the dresser for something to wear. I was suddenly struck with the thought, "God, look at me. I'm acting like Mia!"

I eventually decided on the short, strapless, blood red dress that I kept hidden in the back of the closet. I tried it on and looked at myself in the mirror. It fit me perfectly and not only complemented my curves, but the color accented my dark features. Gosh I was acting like such a girl!

I chose to wear a rather uncomfortable pair of heels that had straps that rapped around my ankles and were the same shade of red as the dress. I put on a tiny bit of makeup, which I hated, and let my hair fall down around my shoulders in gorgeous natural black ringlets. I looked at myself one last time in the mirror before I took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

I notice that Dom was already standing by the front door waiting for me. He was the first to notice me. I watched his eyes light up as he looked me over.

"Damn baby," he finally murmured, "you look good."

"You don't look too bad yourself," I complemented. He was dressed in black. He wore his favorite pair of black pants, that fit him in all the right places, a black button down shirt with a casual black suit coat and some black dress shoes. He look so damn good that I was seriously debating whether or not I wanted to let him leave the house.

I heard Leon whistle as he looked up from whatever he was doing in the living room.

"Jesse, look at that hot ass chick that Dom's taking out. Man, Letty's gonna be pissed," he joked. Little did I know, he was only half kidding. I didn't know it, but at that exact moment he was having to repeat the words, 'brotherly thoughts' to himself.

At the mention of my name, Maddy can racing around the corner. She stopped a few feet in front of Dom and me, closely observing us.

"You both look pretty," she finally said, making us laugh.

"No honey," Mia corrected, as she joined us. "Letty looks pretty. Uncle Dom looks handsome."

"No Mia," Dom added. "Letty looks gorgeous."

"Why Dominic Toretto, was that a complement I just heard," Vince piped up from the sofa. He batted his eyelashes at Dom as he spoke. Dom waited until Maddy was distracted then gave him the finger in response.

I looked down to find Maddy eyeballing my ring closely. "Does this mean I can call you Aunt Letty?" Smart kid.

* * *

Dom's P.O.V.

I took Letty to a fancy Italian restaurant that was rumored to be owned by the mafia. Whether that was true or not, the way we were dressed blended in well with the restaurants other occupants.

The two of us were talking, laughing, and having a generally good time when my cell rang.

"What," I demanded, irritated by the interruption.

"Hey man," Leon said warily, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have a serious situation back here at the fort."

"This better be important," I said.

"It's your sister dawg," Leon muttered. His voice had taken on a tone of concern. "She showed up a few minutes ago and started going freakin' ape shit. She's too hysterical to tell us what her problem is."

"Where the hell is O'Conner," I asked frustrated.

"I dunno," Leon replied quickly. "I tried to call his ass, but there was no answer."

I could now hear Mia sobbing in the background and I knew that something had to be seriously wrong.

"Alright," I said. "Keep calling him, I'm on my way. Just keep my sister calm until I get there." With that, I hung up.

Letty glared at me from across the table. "What now?"

"I'm sorry baby, but we've gotta go. There's an emergency at the house," I apologized.

She simply rolled her eyes in response, then followed me out to the parking lot.


	16. Missing

Letty's P.O.V.

Mia and Vince sat huddled together on the stairs in front of me as I entered the house. I watched in awe as Mia sobbed uncontrollably into her hands while Vince put a protective arm around her shaking body.

"What the hell's going on," I asked Vince as I continued to survey the unfolding situation. Brian and Maddy's absence was very apparent. Before Vince could respond, Mia revealed her tear streaked face.

"Letty," she mumbled, now standing.

Dom gently pushed me aside so he could comfort his younger sister. "Mia, calm down and tell us what's going on. Did Brian do this to you?"

Mia shook her head in response before muttering the words, "she's gone."

"What," I demanded, instantly aware that she was talking about Maddy.

"She's gone," Mia repeated. "I just left her alone for a few minutes, Letty."

"Mia," Dom demanded, getting frustrated with his sister's evasive answers. "What happened."

"MADDY IS GONE, DOM," Mia finally exploded. "After you and Letty went out, I brought Maddy home and put her to bed. I fell asleep on the couch waiting for Brian to get home and I woke up to my daughter screaming my name. When I got to her room she was gone."

I wandered over to the nearest chair to let Mia's words sink in.

My thoughts began to race. Who had taken my soon to be niece? Why did they do it? Then suddenly, everything began to fall into place. I remembered what had happened to me at the garage and the story about the 'monster'. Brian had just returned and was trying to console his wife, who was now wailing about what a terrible mother she was, but I barely noticed. I was to busy putting things together in my head.

"What have you done, Dom," I heard Mia spat, taking us all by surprise. "Who's after us this time?"

"Hold up a second," Vince retaliated. "We haven't done a damn thing to anybody, so if ya wanna point fingers why don't you let your husband, the COP, take the blame?"

"Relax," Dom yelled, causing everyone to shut up. "I don't know who did this or why, but I swear to you that I will take care of it."

"Oh, thanks Dom," Mia shot back sarcastically, "It's about time you learn to clean up your own messes."

"Don't listen to her, man. She's in shock," Brian said, pulling Mia close to him.

"So you're a doctor now, too," Vince scoffed. " Being Captain American wasn't enough?"

" ALL OF YOU NEED TO SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTHS!" Dom finally yelled. "This is getting us nowhere."

Dom continued to speak, but all my attention had become focused on the T.V. I had never been one to watch the evening news, but my eyes were glued to the pictures on the screen as I struggled to hear the story.

"It's them," I mumbled, as if in a trance.

"What," Leon asked from the couch. Aparently he had been the only one able to hear me.

"It's them," I repeated, pointing at the T.V. screen. Leon fell silent as he listened to the report.

"The two Los Angeles police officers who were brutally attacked a few days ago are still in the intensive care unit of an area hospital, but one of the officers managed to give a police sketch artist a detailed description of the attackers," the newswoman paused as the artist's rendering of the two attackers popped up on the screen. "If you have any information about these attacks, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department."

"That's them," I said again. Everyone had ceased arguing and now listened to me with wide eyes. "They were the ones that attacked me in the garage, and I have a pretty good feeling that they took Maddy."

"Why," Leon asked the question on everyone's mind. I started to speak, but Brian cut me off.

"To get back at me," he said solemnly, the attention shifted to him.

"I never thought I'd be the one to say this," I murmured, "but we need to call the cops."


	17. Now or Never

Letty's P.O.V.

I hadn't moved from the chair yet. Instead, I watched everyone scurrying around the house. I watched as Dom paced back and forth in front of me while Leon and Jesse tried to calm him. Mia had moved to the sofa where she sat solemnly, Vince still at her side. Brian had disappeared into another room, his cell phone in hand. I assumed he had called Bilkins to inform him that the ex-con had taken Maddy.

I couldn't watch anymore. I had to get out, quick. I unstrapped the horribly uncomfortable heels I'd been wearing and trudged up the stairs to the bedroom Dom and I shared. I closed the door gently behind me, so as not to draw any unnecessary attention to myself. My eyes began to burn as unwelcome tears filled them, blurring my vision. They hadn't been brought on by sadness, it was rage that had called them out. I wiped my eyes, but it did no good. I finally snapped. I threw my shoes at the wall so hard that I made the window on the opposite wall rattle. I stripped off my dress and stalked over to the closet. I randomly threw clothes from the closet onto the floor absent mindedly. I didn't even hear the bedroom door swing open behind me, I was too busy plotting revenge.

I snatched a pair of jeans off the floor and slipped them on, then jerked a t-shirt off of a hanger in the closet. I felt Dom's arms around my waist as I stood there with the shirt dangling in one hand. As badly as I wanted this comfort I knew that there wasn't time for it. Standing around wasn't gonna get Maddy back any faster.

"Don't touch me," I said, maybe a little too harshly, pulling free of his embrace. I quickly put on the shirt and grabbed a pair of Converse from the closet floor. I sat down on the bed and them on, looking up to see a flash of hurt in Dom's eyes. I felt bad for obvious reasons, but I managed to produce a weak smile and added, "Sorry, just not right now." He said nothing and began changing his clothes so I left him and went downstairs.

Leon was standing at the foot of the stairs as if he'd been waiting for me. He motioned for me to follow him outside onto the small front porch. I could hear shouting coming from the back of the house, but I couldn't make out what was being said as I exited the house.

He leaned against the side of the house, chewing on a toothpick as usual, "Listen Let, while you were upstairs I overheard Brian telling Dom that he wasn't getting the cops involved in this cuz it's too personal and he'd rather handle it himself. Look to make a long story short, he knows were Maddy is and he and Dom are gonna go take care of it themselves."

"You've gotta be freakin' shittin' me," I suddenly burst out. "Are you sure about this?"

"Shhh, keep it down. Yes I'm sure. I tried to talk em out of it, but Brian said that this was the way it had to be," Leon said as he cautiously looked around. "I'm supposed to keep you occupied so you don't find out what they're up to."

"How can they be so stupid? I have to stop them, they're gonna screw around and get killed. I'm so tired of this dumb macho horse shit. You'd think they know that by now. I mean look at what happened the last time." I said the last bit in Spanish, showing Leon exactly how angry I really was. I started for the door, but Leon griped my arm (a little too tightly) in one swift motion.

"No," he demanded. He had a look in his eyes that I'd never seen in him before. It was very intimidating and I froze. "Don't you get it? These guys aren't playin' around. You have nothing to do with them and look at what they did to you. What do you think they'll do to Maddy if they find out Brian has involved the cops? They want Brian and I'm pretty sure they'll do whatever it takes to get his attention."

Dom suddenly burst through the front door followed by Brian. They didn't seem to notice us as they walked toward the street where Brian's Supra was parked. Brian got in the drivers seat and started the car up as Dom looked back at Leon and I briefly before disappearing into the passenger side.

As soon as they pulled away from the curb I was across the yard onto the driveway next to my car. Leon had hesitated only a second before following me. He asked no questions as we got into the car and pulled out onto the street. He didn't need to. He knew what I'd been thinking from the moment Dom and Brian walked outside. The truth was he'd probably been thinking it, too. I slammed my foot down on the gas hoping that we could catch them.


	18. When It All Falls Down

Letty's P.O.V.

I could see the Supra's taillights as I came over the hill. It was stopped at an intersection. I kept my distance, hoping that they wouldn't know we were following them. The fact that we were in the crowded city of L.A. made it easy for me to follow them for miles unnoticed. Eventually the landscape around us changed from blazing city lights to almost total darkness.

Leon suddenly broke the silence. "I heard them sayin' somethin' about a house near the desert."

As if on cue, the night sky lit up with a few jagged veins of lightening and the roar of thunder.

"You know you didn't have to come with me," I said, suddenly feeling bad for him.

He grinned at me, " You know I wouldn't let you go alone. Incase you didn't realize it yet, I kinda have a habit lookin' out for you. Besides I learned a long time ago it's a waste of time to try talkin' you out of anything."

"Good to know," I laughed.

The Supra slowed almost to a halt, then turned right on to a narrow dirt road. I passed up the turn off, then flipped a bitch when I thought they were far enough away. I traveled a short distance down the dirt road, before pulling over and turning off my lights.

"Guess we're walking then," Leon observed. "Do you have anything, ya know for protection."

"Leon," I joked, "I didn't exactly plan on driving out here to have my way with you."

"Funny, Let. I'm glad to see my sense of humor is rubbing off on ya, but seriously."

I lifted up my shirt to show him that I had my knife clipped onto my jeans. He in turn reached beneath his seat and pulled out a pistol.

"Where the hell did that come from," I asked, a little shocked to see him with a gun.

"I jacked it from Vince. I was afraid he might shoot Brian with it," Leon chuckled.

"That was probably a good move on your part," I said as we got out of the car. We waited a minute for our eyes to adjust to the inky blackness that consumed the desert around us. After walking for what seemed like forever, the faint glow of lights became visible and we quickened our pace. Finally a run down, two story house appeared. We stood there in the darkness surveying the area for henchmen before proceeding. There didn't seem to be anyone around so we hurried toward the back side of the house, passing the empty Supra on the way.

We hugged our bodies close to the wall as we slowly crept toward a window that spilled light out into the back yard. I quickly peered in and saw Maddy sitting at a table coloring in the kitchen. There was a woman seated across the table with her back to me. I knew that she was the one who had helped attack me without even seeing her face. The window was cracked opened just wide enough for me to hear them talking.

"Are you hungry," the woman asked.

"Nope, I wanna go home," Maddy replied, not looking up from here art work.

"Why? Aren't you having fun?"

Maddy glanced up at the lady. " When is my daddy gonna come get me?"

"Soon I hope," the woman replied, reaching out and touching Maddy's cheek. I wanted to crawl through the window and beat her. "You're such a pretty little girl."

"You're pretty too, but not as pretty as my momma. She's the prettiest lady in the whole world," Maddy said innocently.

I tried not to laugh as I listened to the woman's voice take on a frustrated tone. "Is that so?"

"Yep, me and my daddy both think so," Maddy beamed, clearly unaware how upset she was making the woman. Yet, I didn't know why the woman was reacting this way.

I watched as she got up from the table. "Wait here," she said before exiting the room, "I think I hear your daddy right now."

I couldn't believe my luck. I waited for a few seconds to make sure she wasn't coming back before telling Leon to come closer. The window let out a small creak as I pushed it up, startling Maddy. She smiled when she saw that it was me and started to speak, but stopped when she saw me put a finger to my lips. I waved Maddy over to the window and helped her climb outside with us.

I had devised a plan to help Dom and Brian, while settling a score of my own. I talked it over with Leon, who objected at first because it sounded too dangerous, but in the end I got my way. We traded weapons before I climbed in the kitchen through the opened window. I grabbed a large metal skillet from a rack above the stove, and got in to position behind the closed door that the lady had gone through. I prayed that this went smoothly. Leon lifted Maddy up so that her head was sticking through the window and I counted to three holding up my fingers so she could see. She began crying loudly, as I had instructed her to do, before Leon pulled her back outside to safety. A few moments later I heard footsteps and the door swung open. There she was according to plan, back turned to me and everything. She was beginning turn in my direction so in one quick motion I swung the skillet hard enough to hear a loud CRACK as it connected with her rib cage. A look of confusion and pain flashed across her face as she fell, clutching her side, onto the floor.

"That was a really chickenshit move," she spat, as she tried to catch her breath.

"That's funny, I seem to remember you doin' something similar to me," I shot back.

She attempted to get up and lunge at me so I swung the skillet at her yet again, this time I went for the knees. I heard another CRACK as I watched her left knee pop backward, bending her leg into an unnatural angle. Something, a bone I assumed, poked outward beneath her pants leg where her knee cap had once been. I dropped the skillet, sort of stunned by what I had done, and slapped a hand over her mouth right before she let out a shrill scream.

" You shouldn't have fucked with my family," I whispered into her ear as I placed the gun against the base of her neck. I twisted one of her arms behind her back and forced her to stand up, she had to lean against me for support. "If you make one fucking peep to let somebody know that I'm here when I take my hand off your mouth, I swear I'll end you right here."

She nodded her head in agreement, so I removed my hand, which was wet with her tears and snot, and wiped it across the side of her face. Salt in the wound. Speaking of wounds I was soon aware that the blood gushing from her leg was getting all over my jeans and shoes. I stepped back, letting her fall once again. I left her there, quivering on the floor, so that I could peek out the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dom and Brian.

"Your family...that's so cute..." she stammered from behind me. Her pain must have been excruciating. I felt little pity for her. "That little girl...Maddy...she...she should have been my family."

"What kind of nonsense have I got you talkin'," I muttered, unable to see much of anything beyond the doorway.

"I should...should have had that with him," she kept spewing this crap. "He acted like we had something together. Then one day he just leaves...comes back here to...her."

"Did you get that from some shitty chick flick or somethin'? Where is that asshole that you were with the other day? He seemed like a real winner. I don't see why you're holdin' onto the past when you got that piece of work ," I mocked.

" I hope he's already killed the big one. He better save Brian for last so that after we're done here I can watch him suffer the same amount of pain he put us through," she laughed.

I turned back in her direction, and she came at me, sinking a kitchen knife deep into my right thigh. I should have know she'd go for the knives the second I looked away. A serge of pain rushed up my leg and I had to suppress the urge to scream. I managed to give her a good kick in her already wounded ribs, forcing her back. I stared down at the knife, still protruding from my leg, in mild disbelief. I grabbed a hand towel from the counter, rolled it up, and stuck it between my teeth. Then, I gripped the knife handle and pulled it out as quickly as I could, letting out a muffled cry. I wiped the blade against my already blood stained clothes, before tucking it into the back of my pants. She was still laughing, but not for long. I snatched a chunk of her hair and drug her out into a small hallway that lay beyond the kitchen door.

"Is he alone," I demanded, losing my patience. "And which way is he?"

"Yeah... left," she cried out. I followed her directions and pushed her into the room ahead of me .

"Kill her Carter," the bitch screamed, upon entrance. "Look at what she did to me."

Brian and Dom stared at the two of us with an expression that was mixture of shock and relief. Carter, who held a gun in his hand, looked amused.

"Well Monica," he said. "This is all about revenge isn't it? Who said you'd be the only one reaping the benefits? After all you did beat her with a wrench and you of all people should know that the wicked need to be punished."

"Did you learn that philosophy in prison," I scoffed

"Don't just stand there making conversation! KILL HER! SHE HAS A GUN AND SHE'LL KILL US BOTH," Monica yelled at him.

He pointed the gun at me as he spoke and I saw Dom shift out of the corner of my eye. " Guess I'll do the honors."

To everyone's amazement, at the last moment, Carter switched his target from me to Monica. His finger squeezed the trigger and I jumped back. I looked away, but I could hear the hollow sound of the bullet entering her body. A warm spray of blood spattered across me and I almost vomited.

"Well," he said, "who's next?"

There was a deafening clap of thunder and the lights flickered briefly before going out all together. I lost hope for a moment, then realized we might not be totally screwed after all. At least this way I wouldn't have to see the lifeless body on the floor next to me. I stumbled around in the darkness until I bumped into someone, knowing almost instantly that it was Dominic. It was pure luck for the second time that night. As we stood there holding each other, I felt his hand slip down my back and into my pants. He pulled out the knife I had kept tucked between my jeans and bare flesh. There was a flash of lightening, Dom was no longer next to me. Another flash illuminated the blackness, he was across the room, (arm raised, knife reflecting the light) ready to slit Carter's throat. The light failed, there was another clap of thunder. This time mixed with the sound of a gun shot and the flash from the muzzle. I collapsed to the floor, unsure about what had happened to Dom and which direction the bullet had traveled. I laid there shaking, nothing but silence and darkness.

I heard someone say my name and gently touch my shoulder. I opened my eyes, unable to remember ever closing them, surprised to find that there were stars above me. I was lying on a stretcher, being rolled to the back of an ambulance. I sat up even tough it felt like someone was sitting on top of me.

"Lay down Let," I heard Dom say from behind me. He leaned against the ambulance, a bandage wrapped around his arm.

"Don't tell me what to do," I snapped at him, jokingly. I was thrilled to see that he was alive.

"He's right ma'am. You need to rest a while. You lost quite a bit of blood from that stab wound," a young paramedic said. I could tell by his tone that he was afraid I might snap at him, too.

"Well do what you gotta do and get me the hell outta here," I said, knowing it was for the best.

In the end I had to get some stitches. They bandaged my leg up and pumped me full of pain killers before sending me on my way. Dom had only been grazed on the arm by the bullet from Carter's gun. Brian had escaped unharmed. He held his daughter, (whom Leon had kept safely hidden in my car) as he discussed the series of events with Agent Bilkins, who he had contacted after all. Monica died from the gunshot wound to her head. I was never even questioned about her other injuries. Carter suffered a near fatal neck injury at the hands of Dominic and was sent back to prison with no chance of getting out.

All in all things seemed to have turned out alright... at least that's what I thought... until later that night.

* * *

I laid in bed (after a long hot shower) waiting for Dom to come join me. He finally came in and sat on the edge of our bed. I could tell something was on his mind the moment he came in.

"What is it now," I asked, irritated.

"I have to get out of here," he answered quickly. He kept his back to me.

"What do you mean? You need to get out of the room? The city?"

"More like the country," he said simply.

I was taken totally aback. My voice cracked as I spoke. "Please tell me that this is a joke."

It sounded lame but it's all I could think of.

"No," he turned to me now. "I have to go away for a while. Alone."

"Why? I know that things have been really fucked up lately, but all that's over now," I managed to say without bursting into tears. His words hurt.

"Is it? Every time things are going good, someone comes along and fucks it all up." Now his voice was starting to crack.

"Well isn't this just typical? The story of our lives...shit gets hard so you disappear and I wait for you, hoping that you'll come back. What is this, the third time," I spat at him as I got up from the bed and headed for the closet to throw on some clothes.

"You know it isn't like that," he sounded so wounded. "I love you."

"Haha, that's exactly what you told me the last time you left me bleeding somewhere," I yelled bitterly.

I walked over to him. We looked each other right in the eyes and he smiled weakly as he spoke. "I mean it. Now why don't we goto bed."

I leaned over and kissed the top of his head as he embraced me, resting the side of his face against my stomach. I pulled away and took one of his hands, so much bigger than my own.

"Not this time," I whispered as I dropped the ring he had given me into his palm. "You get to be the one that waits."

We stared at each other, tears in our eyes. I left the room.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Leon sitting in the living room alone watching T.V.

"You wanna take me to the beach," I asked, knowing that I couldn't drive myself tonight.

I knew that it was a strange request considering it was the middle of the night, but I was sure he already knew what was going on between Dom and I. He didn't even respond with words. He just got up and lead me outside to his car.

* * *

We sat together on the deserted beach watching the ocean. Neither of us had spoken since getting in the car. I was grateful for that and for the fact that he was here at all.

" He asked me to take care of you while he was gone," Leon said finally.

"I know. He always does," I said quietly.

"He loves you ya know...he just," he added.

"Don't make excuses for him," I said flatly. "Just stay with me."

"You know I will."

"And don't do it for him...do it for me."

"I always do." He put an arm around my shoulder and I leaned on him as I had many times in the past. We sat there like that watching the water in silence again, as tears streamed down my cheeks.

The End?

* * *

Well there you have it! Hope you enjoyed it! Don't be sad...there's gonna be a sequel for those of you who care. (I gotta incorporate a little Tokyo Drift...mmmmm... Lucas Black...action into the next one!) Oh and don't get upset about the Dom and Letty situation...what doesn't kill them only makes them stronger...LOL! It'll be ok...Thanks for reading!!!! 


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